Learning to use a gas range

Gas used to be easier. Much easier than electric.

The problem has started with the advent of "sealed burners". These may be easier to clean, and take up less vertical space, but they have a big draw back in that they tend to "bloom", that is, the flame tends to spread out horizontally rather than vertically. So a full on with a sealed gas burner likely will require a wider cooking utensil on top to harness all the BTU's.

SOME modern gas burners may address the issue by including air vents in the burner design, to allow the gas to be increased without as much blooming. I don't recall which ones.

For me, the solution has to to use wider pots and pans when I need full power. Such as boiling water for pasta. Also, my Frigidaire gas cooktop has burners of different sizes and output ranges. And then I went in and rejetted two of the burners (the biggest in the middle of the five burner setup, and the left front smaller burner, which I use the most) to enable them to burn even more gas and thus deliver more BTU's. And even though some heat escapes up the sides of a big pasta pot on the biggest burner, it's still faster to bring to a boil if I crank up the gas.

If your burners are all the same size I'd guess this is a low end range or cooktop. Check the owner's manual, however. Some of the back burners may be rated a lower output than the front ones, and therefor more suited for simmering than searing.

What makes gas so easy, otherwise, is that there is visual (see the size of the flame) and audible (hear the gas hissing) feedback to help determine how much heat is being applied. There is also the matter of gas delivering instant heat, and just as quickly removing it, unlike all electric burners save for induction.

To each his own. I prefer gas for top cooking, and electric for baking. This house has two kitchens - gas cooktop and electric wall oven in one, and a vintage electric range in the other. They have their pros and cons.


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Post# 921985 2/17/2017 at 12:26 (2,625 days old) by cuffs054 (MONTICELLO, GA)
Checkrate/Likes 1 I pretty much have always cooked on electric ranges. I'm going to start spending more time at the cabin and it's got a propane range. I'm not sure how to "set the burners". On electric if I want to boil I go to "High" and try to match the burner to the size of the pot. But on gas all the burners are the same size and if I turn it up to high the flame is often wider than the pan bottom so the flame rolls up the side of the pot. That usually means the handle of the pot gets friggin' hot and more scar tissue forms on my fingers. If I match the flame to the pot it doesn't cook very fast. Is there a trick to it?

Post# 921992 , Reply# 1 2/17/2017 at 13:19 (2,625 days old) by joeekaitis (Rialto, California, USA)
Checkrate/Likes 1 When the flame tips just kiss the edge of the pot's bottom, that's "high" heat regardless of the pot's size. Make a mental note of the number the knob is on and adjust for medium and low accordingly: If 8 is "high" for a particular saucepan, then 4 is "medium"and 2 is "low". These are general guidelines. Compensate if a given number is too hot or cool. If the pot is so big that the flames never reach the edge, then the highest setting is "high". Gas inherently takes a little longer to boil water. Flames that climb the sides are a waste of gas, can melt or damage handles and, as you noted, are a burn hazard. Then, again, if you have the money, pack a couple 120 volt portable induction cooktops and save the propane to heat the cabin. Folks do, you know.

Post# 922028 , Reply# 2 2/17/2017 at 18:35 (2,625 days old) by norgeway (mocksville n c )
Checkrate/Likes *Its a learning curve* The main thing is to go by how the flame looks and never where the knob is turned,if you watch someone cook on gas, they will pull the pot or pan to the side, adjust the flame then replace the utensil,I have used both gas and electric, I prefer the gas oven 2 to 1 over electricity, but as far as the cooktop goes, either is fine,the drawback to gas is it heats up your kitchen more, and with the terrible heat and humidity we have here in the South East, it can be miserable.

Post# 922114 , Reply# 3 2/18/2017 at 01:42 (2,624 days old) by tolivac (greenville nc)
Checkrate/Likes I can use either.

Post# 922115 , Reply# 4 2/18/2017 at 01:45 (2,624 days old) by foraloysius (Leeuwarden, Friesland, the Netherlands)
Checkrate/Likes 1 When the flames roll up the sides of the pan, the pan is too small. Have you tried every burner? Some burners look the same, but sometimes one has a smaller flame than the other.

Post# 922149 , Reply# 5 2/18/2017 at 10:09 (2,624 days old) by panthera (Rocky Mountains)
Checkrate/Likes *A few of my experiences* 1) Make sure the stove is set to run with propane and not natural gas. It makes a big difference in safety as well as in how the knobs control the burners. 2) Make sure the burners are clean, again - big difference in performance. 3) If the flame is licking over the edges of a fairly wide pan/pot/skillet at a high setting, you're either using too small of a cooking vessel or #1 or #2 applies. Propane gas will actually cook faster than natural gas and about as fast as the very weak American induction cookers. Hope this helps - I do think it's most likely the stove just isn't set up for propane/LP gas. Now, for cooking with gas in general. You start out with the flame as high as possible to bring things to the temperature you want. You then turn it down to the lowest level to maintain whatever temperature you need to finish the cooking process. Because gas burners have virtually no inertia, they're enormously easier to use for difficult/easy to scorch sauces and foods cooked in pressure cookers.

Post# 922151 , Reply# 6 2/18/2017 at 10:11 (2,624 days old) by Combo52 (50 Year Repair Tech Beltsville,Md)
Checkrate/Likes 2 *Cooking on gas surface burners* Cooking on gas surface burners is definitely tricky and has quite a learning curve to it. And cooking on propane is even a little worse you have less total BTUs generally in the flame is hotter. For best efficient see you should never let the flame touch the bottom of the pan with a gas stove even though this slows down cooking a lot you don't produce all the carbon monoxide when the flames not touching the cooler metal. Using propane especially is probably a lot more expensive than using electricity in most areas, although it's not a big expense over all, but a portable induction hotplate might really be a great way to do certain cooking operations using the gas for the ones it does well.

Post# 922175 , Reply# 7 2/18/2017 at 13:15 (2,624 days old) by sudsmaster (SF Bay Area, California)
Checkrate/Likes Gas used to be easier. Much easier than electric. The problem has started with the advent of "sealed burners". These may be easier to clean, and take up less vertical space, but they have a big draw back in that they tend to "bloom", that is, the flame tends to spread out horizontally rather than vertically. So a full on with a sealed gas burner likely will require a wider cooking utensil on top to harness all the BTU's. SOME modern gas burners may address the issue by including air vents in the burner design, to allow the gas to be increased without as much blooming. I don't recall which ones. For me, the solution has to to use wider pots and pans when I need full power. Such as boiling water for pasta. Also, my Frigidaire gas cooktop has burners of different sizes and output ranges. And then I went in and rejetted two of the burners (the biggest in the middle of the five burner setup, and the left front smaller burner, which I use the most) to enable them to burn even more gas and thus deliver more BTU's. And even though some heat escapes up the sides of a big pasta pot on the biggest burner, it's still faster to bring to a boil if I crank up the gas. If your burners are all the same size I'd guess this is a low end range or cooktop. Check the owner's manual, however. Some of the back burners may be rated a lower output than the front ones, and therefor more suited for simmering than searing. What makes gas so easy, otherwise, is that there is visual (see the size of the flame) and audible (hear the gas hissing) feedback to help determine how much heat is being applied. There is also the matter of gas delivering instant heat, and just as quickly removing it, unlike all electric burners save for induction. To each his own. I prefer gas for top cooking, and electric for baking. This house has two kitchens - gas cooktop and electric wall oven in one, and a vintage electric range in the other. They have their pros and cons.